Elliot Goldenthal with Julie Taymor at a recent Theatre event; the Julie Taymor production of The Tempest at the Theatre, 1986, for which Goldenthal composed the score.

Celebrated composer Elliot Goldenthal is known for his prolific career with genre-spanning works in film, opera, and theatre.

Goldenthal’s long association with Theatre for a New Audience began in 1986 when he composed the score for Julie Taymor’s production of The Tempest at the Theatre. Since then, he has gone on to compose scores for many of our productions, including The Green Bird (2000), Titus Andronicus(1994), The Taming of the Shrew (1988), all directed by Taymor, and Home Street Home (1986).

Two of those productions, Titus Andronicus and The Tempest, went on to be adapted for the screen, directed by Taymor with scores composed by Goldenthal.

Over the past 20 years, Goldenthal has created soundtracks for nearly 30 films and garnered the highest of honors including the Academy Award for Best Original Score for Taymor’s film Frida in 2002. Other film score compositions include Taymor’s Across the Universe, as well as Alien 3, Interview With a Vampire (Academy Award Nomination) and Michael Collins (Academy Award Nomination).

In 2007 he received a nomination for the Pulitzer Prize for Music for his acclaimed opera Grendel, based on the story of Beowulf, directed by Taymor. He and Taymor were co-recipients of the 2010 Samuel H. Scripps Award, given by the Theatre at our Annual Gala.

A student of Aaron Copland and John Corigliano, Goldenthal was born and raised in Brooklyn. He and Taymor met through a mutual friend in 1980, and have been “happily un-married,” to quote Goldenthal, ever since.